Warrior Girl Unearthed is thrilling, upsetting, and edifying. There are some structural problems with this book, it still delivered the squee factor, in that I was totally absorbed and emotionally invested in this story. This is a stand-alone novel set in the same community as in the book The Firekeeper’s Daughter, another excellent read. Both books tackle difficult issues that face indigenous young women in America with empathy, perception, tenderness, and grit. Neither is a romance and both carry trigger warnings galore.
TW/CW
TW for Warrior Girl Unearthed: racism, references to genocide and the kidnapping of Indian children, desecration of bodies, violence against women, references to rape and grooming.
Anishinaabe teenager Perry Firekeeper-Birch has no desire to leave her community on Sugar Island. She wants to be left alone to fish. However, when her family forces her to participate in a youth leadership program, she becomes aware of her tribe’s efforts to repatriate the heirlooms and human remains of their ancestors from non-tribal universities and museums. Perry becomes determined to carry out a heist that will return remains held by a private collector to their rightful places of rest.
This book has a teenage protagonist who thinks and acts like a teenager, and her character growth is powerful and believable. The description of the community – the complicated ties of family, tribal affiliations, and friendships – feel messy and real. There’s a lot of exposition but it never gets boring or awkward, largely because Perry is in a series of positions that involve her being a student and listening to a teacher or coach.
This is a difficult book to read but a deeply rewarding one. I shared Perry’s anger as she learned about the atrocities practiced in the past and the present. Perry makes a lot of terrible decisions, but I emphasized with her because I wanted to make them myself. At the same time, she learns the importance of thinking long term and making strategic choices. I enjoyed seeing the growth of her friendships, especially the friendship that develops between herself and her classmate Shense as well as the closeness between Perry and her sister Pauline.
I did think that the plot went astray with a new crisis at the last minute. It felt like a massive swerve in terms of tone and genre and, while it did tie some threads together, I didn’t think it entirely fit. As much as this story was emotionally powerful for me, I struggled with the plot structure when it went off the rails with this unexpected twist.
Otherwise, I thought Warrior Girl Unearthed was pretty amazing. Perry is faced with the challenge of learning to understand long-term thinking and different points of view, while also holding onto her rage and her energy. It’s an amazing journey.
I owe this book a particular debt of gratitude because I work in a museum that exhibits some Indigenous heirlooms. As we launch a venture to revamp our exhibits and collections in consultation and with permission from Tribal members, this book is an important reference point for me, a constant and visceral reminder that decisions about how to handle heirlooms are not abstract. Images and passages from this book will stay with me for a long time and serve as a reference point, even as Perry’s character also serves as an inspiration. I look forward to Boulley’s next book!
